In Arts & Entertainment Blogs

Sydney Hih letters to become public art

Last year, the iconic Sydney Hih building was torn down, causing great controversy among Milwaukeeans. Some believed it was a terrible eye sore that simply needed to go whereas others – particularly those who had memories of seeing bands at The Unicorn or eating at Siam's – wanted to see it renovated.

On Friday, Jan. 18, the nine metal letters that spelled out "Sydney Hih" on the front of the building will be reborn as public art at The Shops of Grand Avenue, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave.

The letters have been preserved and restored and will be placed permanently in the windows of the walkway over Plankinton Avenue.

Personally, I have my own collection of memories from the building. A construction worker gave me a brick during the demolition process and a kind reader sent me a piece of the Unicorn's yellow-painted door.

The installation of the letters in a highly visible area is a great idea. We need more public art in Milwaukee and for those of us with crazy, hazy memories of the brightly-colored monstrosity, it will be fun to see a small portion of it that's still intact.

More Information…

Talkbacks

I was too late for a brick :( Our daughter was named after that building - where my hubby and I had our first kiss (at the Unicorn). We snapped a few pix with our Sydney and the building at least before they took the letters down and demolished. Will look forward to checking out her letters at the Grand Ave. sometime soon! Thx for the update.

Facebook Comments

Disclaimer: Please note that Facebook comments are posted through Facebook and cannot be approved, edited or declined by OnMilwaukee.com. The opinions expressed in Facebook comments do not necessarily reflect those of OnMilwaukee.com or its staff.

Related articles

Adam Carr can`t quite say he was born and raised in Milwaukee because he moved here from the Washington, D.C. area when he was a year old, but the 30-year-old has built a life and career around exploring, critiquing, celebrating and documenting the city in a variety of ways.

Milwaukee is a mural-iffic city featuring murals of all sizes in many different parts of the city. Some do a better job incorporating the architectural elements of the given space than others, but all of them are colorful and conspicuous.

We asked retired Milwaukee firefighter Wayne Mutza - who has also authored books on the history of and his time with the Milwaukee Fire Dept. - about some of the most dramatic fires in Milwaukee history. Here, Mutza - whose brother Dale Mutza photographed many Milwaukee fire scenes - shares nine of them.